Senate OKs bills to abolish Philly traffic court

Wednesday’s unanimous votes came on two bills — one to transfer the traffic court’s responsibilities to Philadelphia Municipal Court, the other to remove the court from the state constitution. The bills now move to the House.

Since January, nine current or former judges have been charged with dismissing or reducing citations for friends, family and political allies.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, the sponsor of both bills, says only one out of seven judges is still serving on the traffic court.

A scathing indictment portrays the court as a cesspool of patronage and corruption. Prosecutors say the situation has kept dangerous drivers on the road and resulted in lost revenue.